Top Mistakes Homeowners Make To Prevent Burglary  |
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 Here are some tips and information that came from Bottom Line Personal magazine in regards to homeowners and the mistakes they make in protecting their home from burglars. Some of these I think are obvious but some I was not aware of or would not have thought about.
Mistake #1. Leaving the burglar alarm off when you are running out for a few minutes. Even for a few minutes you should always turn your alarm on.
Mistake #2. Posting detailed alarm signs. They say it is better to buy a generic sign so that the burglar is not aware of what system you are using and not be able to disarm the alarm.
Mistake #3. Hiding valuables in the bedroom. It is the first place burglars look according to the article. Hide things where they would not think to look or in a safety deposit box. Don't hide everything in the same place.
Mistake #4. Getting a big dog. They say that smaller dogs make more noise and bark more than a bigger dog. They say that dogs like Chihuahuas are great for security.
Mistake #5. Hiding windows with landscaping. This make it easier for thieves to not be seen when entering a home. Keep the bushes trimmed below window level.
Mistake #6. Leaving the lights on. This is more helpful to a burglar than stopping them. Using timers to turn the lights on in the house at various times is better than leaving lights on.
Mistake #7. Having mail and newspaper delivery stopped when going away. Having your friend or neighbor pick up your mail and papers during different times of the day so that burglars see activity around your home.
Has anyone had their home burglarized and did any of these things? Some of these make sense to me. I probably would not totally agree with the dog mistake. I think big dogs can be trained to bark for situations like this or when there are strangers at the house. Do you know of any other mistakes people make that were not mentioned in this article?
Related Resource: home security
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1.  BunGirl (1538) | 2 years ago |  Well I know my German Shepherd would bark his head off if anyone tried to enter our house. He barks like crazy when the neighbors have visitors!
I have seen a lot of these tips before though, and most of them seem very reasonable. Especially the hedges one and the not hiding things in the bedroom. I think those two are included in every news article or tip sheet on avoiding a burglary.
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 kgwat70 (10050) | 2 years ago | That is good that you are aware of these tips on protecting a home. I know there are some big dogs that can bark too. My parents had a small dog and it barked a lot when it saw strangers through the windows. | |
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| kgwat70 (10050) | 2 years ago | Congratulations on your new alarm system. In the article it says that burglars are aware of some of the systems and are able to disable them by buying a diagram on how to disable it. That is why they say use generic signs that say you have an alarm system. You are welcome and hope this helps.
related resource: alarm systems | |
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| rjbass (673) | 2 years ago |  I also was told something else that could be a potential breach in security. I don't know if this is myth or fact but apparently some alarm companies have a generic password that they give some of their techs to use in order to repair or reset some Alarm Systems. I hope this is not true.
related resources: security alarm systems, security systems
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| kgwat70 (10050) | 2 years ago | That is a possibility as well though I do not know if this true or not. It would be easy for a tech to break into someones home unless they changed it. | |
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| 3. Lydia1901 (15599) | 2 years ago |  Those are something, I'll keep them in mind when we get a house someday. I don't know any other mistakes afar from this list. Thanks for sharing this by the way.
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| kgwat70 (10050) | 2 years ago | You are very welcome as I thought this was interesting and since I am a homeowner I could learn from this as well. | |
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| 4. Asylum (3232) | 2 years ago |  An interesting selection of suggestions. I was aware of some of the mistakes that you mention, although others had not occurred to me.
I have to agree with all the options listed because they do make perfect sense.
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| kgwat70 (10050) | 2 years ago | They do make perfect sense though some of them we would not have thought about til now. I will have to pay more attention to what I do around my home. | |
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| 5. Polly1 (6263) | 2 years ago |  Thanks for posting the tips, I have small dogs and they sure do bark alot when they hear something.
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6.  bterrier (176) | 2 years ago |  Thanks for sharing
these helpful tips. I will keep them in mind.
I think a common mistake is hiding a key outside. People hide their keys like two feet away, under the door mat, up in the over hang. I would rather give a key to my neighbor.
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| kgwat70 (10050) | 2 years ago | Oh yes, that is a very common and bad mistake. I am sure lots of burglars look for keys outside the house. Thank you for mentioning that. I do not do that myself but I hear about other people doing it. | |
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| 7. mrsjumppuppy03 (1738) | 2 years ago |  There was a show on that was called It Take a Thief or Burglar (something like that anyhow).
1. Leaving ladders outside and upstairs windows open or unlocked.
2. Leaving tool lie around making it easy to break windows.
3. Leaving spare keys in obvious places ie: under the door mat or above the sill.
It was a very interesting show. I learned alot about security and changes I need to make.
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| 8. margieanneart (16927) | 2 years ago |  I haven't, thank goodness. I think outside lights are important. And, may I add this. If you park your car near your home, not in a garage, and you don't have a home alarm, you can turn your car alarm on if you keep your keys next to your bed on the stand. That can scare someone away if they creep up to break in. As far as mistakes, I think you covered most of them.
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| | Burglar Alarm $9.99/Mo alarm monitoring. No contract. Atlanta based, licensed and insured, since 1989. Acialarms.com, Atlanta, GA. www.acialarms.com
| Security System Solutions in New York Virtual Service is a tri state area company specializing in commercial and residential alarm (burglar), surveillance, security systems and services such as Virtual Doorman and Virtual Guard. www.virtualservice.net
| Clear Link - US Alarms Every ADT Package comes with peace of mind. Contact us for specials. www.USAlarm.com
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